Michelangelo’s statue of David in danger of collapsing

Michaelangelo's 'David' statue is in danger of collapsing due to its weak ankles and the structure's great weight, scientists have confirmed following new tests. The famous sculpture of the boy warrior is housed in Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia.

The statue of David, the biblical hero who killed Goliath with
just one stone, dates back to the 1500s and is the one of the
world’s most famous works of art. It has come to represent the
Renaissance ideal of the male physique. Michelangelo di Lodovico
Buonarroti Simoni spent three years making it.

Now scientists from the National Research Council and Florence
University have confirmed that the statue has weakened over the
centuries.

Micro-fractures are visible on the left ankle and the carved tree
stump, which threaten the whole stability of the structure. The
cracks have been blamed on the poor quality of the marble used
and because the 5.5 ton statue leaned at an angle for more than a
century.

Vibrations from the millions of tourists who flock to Florence to
see it every year, as well as motortraffic, are also thought to
have damaged the structure. The famous statue also stood out in
the elements in the Piazza della Signoria for more than 350 years
before it was moved in 1873 and placed in the Galleria
dell'Accademia.

Although a copy of the statue has been made, which now stands
outside Florence's town hall (Palazzo Vecchio), there have been
calls for years to move the original to a specially built
earthquake proof museum away from traffic and roadworks in the
city center.

There were also concerns reported in 2011 that the construction
of a tunnel for a high-speed train link – which passes just 600
meters from the statue – would cause further damage.

The statue was commissioned by the city’s rulers in the 1500s as
a symbol of the Florentine Republic’s commercial and military
strength.